The Cult of Saints in the Middle Ages

The cult of saints was an important element in Christian faith. By their death, the saints ended up in heaven close to God, and could accordingly pray for human beings. The cult of saints expresses itself in many different connections. Churches and alters were dedicated to saints, in alters there should also be relics of one or more saints. People had to celebrate a lot of holydays, with restrictions on work, food and drink consumption etc. In this course the Norwegian saints Olav (his shrine in the Nidaros Cathedral was the most important pilgrimage destination in Norway), Hallvard and Sunniva are placed in an international context.

The course will give the students insight in different kinds of sources that can shed light on the cult of saints in Norway in the Middle Ages. Central goals will be to find the reasons why some saints became immensely popular and how the saint cult is manifested in an international context.

A candidate passing this course is supposed to acquire insight in the nature of the cult of saints and the cult’s importance for individuals and society in medieval Norway. The candidate will learn how to trace and interpret sources and how to use them in own research within an interdisciplinary framework.

Lectures and excursion